


It's Meaningless Without You

by sunnyseabreeze



Category: Free!
Genre: For now; however; it's just tooth rotting fluff, M/M, Rating may change; depending on where this goes!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-16
Updated: 2015-01-28
Packaged: 2018-02-21 08:28:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2461547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnyseabreeze/pseuds/sunnyseabreeze
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haruka has been by Makoto's side for as long as he can remember. When it hits him how far they've come, he likes to look back and think about the events that brought them to this point.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When Green Met Blue

**Author's Note:**

> Alternatively titled "I am, and Always Will be, MakoHaru Trash"

Ever since Makoto can remember, Haruka has always been in his life. His earliest memory is the day that they met, all those years ago on their first day of school. 

He had been hesitant, with all of the new faces the whole situation had been a bit overwhelming. But he couldn’t help but notice the small boy in the corner, all by himself. Before he knew what he was doing, his feet seemed to carry him over to where the boy was sat.  
“What are you doing?” He asked timidly. When he spoke, the boy turned around, and Makoto was met with a blue so deep, so wonderful, that his eyes widened.  
Luckily the boy didn’t seem to notice.  
“Painting.” He replied monotonously, turning back to what he was doing. That only piqued Makoto’s interest, though. He leaned over the boy slowly, carefully. He could see lots of blue, all different sorts.  
“Do you like the ocean?” He asked, a bit closer to the boy’s ear than he had intended, making him flinch ever so slightly.  
“Mm,” He replied again, as noncommittal as the last time, and Makoto took that as a yes. He wasn’t sure why this boy seemed to intrigue him so much, but, being the happy-go-lucky five year old that he was, he didn’t care about why, he just knew that this boy was interesting.  
“What’s your name?” He asked curiously, looking at the boy even though the gaze wasn’t returned, at least in that moment. But then the boy turned to face him, his expression had gone from stoic and noncommittal to shocked, almost. But just as quickly as Makoto noticed the change of expression, it had gone away, almost as if it had never happened.  
“Haruka.” He answered.  
“Ha-ru-ka,” Makoto repeated, spacing the syllables out. “That’s a nice name.” He said after pausing for a moment, and the other boy turned away. Makoto was confused, he followed Haruka as he turned, and he saw a light shade of pink dusting his cheeks.  
“Your face is red.” He observed out loud, and that only made Haruka’s frown grow. When Makoto noticed, he began to panic a bit, and quickly apologized.  
“Ah, I’m sorry! Did I hurt your feelings?” He asked quietly, but Haruka just shook his head, turning back to his painting. He then heard him mutter something, too quiet for him to make it out.  
“What?” He asked.  
“I asked, what’s your name?” Haruka replied quietly, and Makoto couldn’t help but smile. That was the first time that Haruka had asked him anything.   
“Ah, Makoto.” He replied happily. He watched as Haru turned his head down, and he mouthed something to himself that looked oddly like Makoto’s name.  
“Ma-ko-to,” Haru repeated back, pronouncing it in the same fashion that Makoto did with his. He nodded to himself in a sort of affirmation, approval.  
“Can I paint with you?” He asked. He had never been a fan of paints, he much preferred crayon, but if Haruka liked it, it must be fun. Haru nodded, tearing him off a piece of paper and siding the paints over a bit, so it would be easier for Makoto to reach.  
“Thank you!” He exclaimed, an ecstatic smile on his face, and Haru turned away again, for the briefest of moments, before returning to his painting. Makoto started to as well, picking up an unused brush and dipping it in a deep green, the image of a forest in his head.  
His mother came to pick him up at the end of the day, and Makoto was surprised at how quickly the whole day had gone by. He cried out excitedly when she came into view, running to her and hugging her legs. She smiled warmly down at him  
“Hello, sweetie. How was your day?” She asked as they began to leave. But as they came to the doorway, Makoto turned around.  
“One second!” He yelled, running back in. He found Haruka, putting his shoes on, and hugged him tightly.  
“Goodbye, Haruka!” He exclaimed with a giggle. Haru’s expression seemed a bit startled, but aside from that, it was the usual stoic expression he had worn throughout the whole day. He remained silent as Makoto hugged him, but as he pulled away, he uttered out a quiet bye. Makoto ran back up to his mother, taking her hand again.  
“What was all that?” She asked with a light chuckle.  
“I had to say goodbye to Haruka!” He replied, looking up at her.  
“Haruka? Did you make a new friend?” She asked. Makoto nodded, his smile growing ever so slightly.  
“That’s wonderful,” She replied. “Maybe Haruka can come over and play sometime.” She said, and Makoto squealed with delight.  
“That would be great!” He exclaimed brightly. They continued to walk back to their home, at a leisurely pace, Makoto bouncing alongside his mother, already excited to see Haruka again tomorrow.  
As the weeks passed, Makoto stayed with Haruka, sticking by his side, the interest from the first day that they had me never wavering, and, slowly but surely, Haruka began to open up to him, bit by bit.  
“Good morning, Haruka.” Makoto greeted him happily.  
“Call me Haru.” He replied, and that confused Makoto a bit. He had never said anything like that before, did he suddenly not like his name? Makoto couldn’t imagine that, because he thought that Haruka was a lovely name.  
“Why?”  
“I like Haru better. It’s less girly.” Makoto smiled, that made sense, but he couldn’t figure out why, Haru seemed like someone who wouldn’t care about things like that. He agreed anyway, if it made Haruka happy.  
“Okay, Haru-chan.” He replied. Haru frowned.  
“Haru-chan? I said ‘Haru.’”  
“But you’re my friend, it makes sense to use Haru-chan.” Haruka looked like he was going to argue, but he just turned away, a frown on his face.  
“Ah, I’m sorry! I don’t have to call you Haru-chan if you don’t-”  
“It’s fine.” Haru interrupted. Makoto nodded, thinking for a moment.  
“Then, does that mean you don’t like me calling you my friend?” He asked, his expression dropping. That definitely got a reaction out of Haru, he looked up at Makoto, his eyes wide.  
“No!” He cried. “I- Makoto is.. My friend..” He explained softly. That seemed to please Makoto, his fallen expression returned to the beaming smile. He very nearly leaped on Haru, wrapping him up in a bear hug.  
“Haru-chan is my friend!” He cried out happily. Ever since they had met a few weeks ago, he had thought of Haru as his friend, but this was the first time that Haru had called him his friend, and it made Makoto happier than words could describe.


	2. Changing of the Seasons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The seasons passed. It seemed almost as if it had been overnight, but in reality, three years had passed, to their parents’ horror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More fluffy kid!Makoharu aww yeah  
> They will grow up eventually, I promise.  
> This chapter's a bit short, sorry!  
> And, as always, feedback is appreciated. ^^

The seasons passed. It seemed almost as if it had been overnight, but in reality, three years had passed, to their parents’ horror. Everytime they were faced with a relative, they were now faced with “You’ve gotten so big!” and “I barely recognized you!” To which Makoto would blush a bit, and Haruka would utter out a soft “I’m only eight..”

But as the years went by, Makoto and Haruka only got closer. Throughout their first year of knowing each other, they slowly became inseparable, always by each others’ sides, and as the years began to progress, their friendship did as well, along with themselves. They definitely didn’t change much, per say, it was more development than anything else. Haru stayed stoic and distant, and Makoto, warm and affectionate. No matter how different they seemed to be, they always stayed together, their friendship being the epitome of the term “Opposites attract.” It was a warm summer day, Haruka and Makoto were sitting on the beach, watching the waves. Their parents let them go by themselves, to both of the boys’ delight. They had started off with talking about their day, and how calm the ocean was, with comfortable silences thrown in between. But after one silence in particular, Haruka spoke.

“Makoto.”

“Mm?” He hummed in response.

“Why don’t you have any friends other than me?” At that, Makoto’s eyes widened. He couldn’t even begin to wrap his head around where that had come from, so he thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully.

“Because.. Haru is the only friend that I need..” He replied, looking over to Haru. There was a moment where Makoto was absolutely sure that he saw a blush on Haruka’s face before he turned away. It was true, they were always together, and Makoto treasured every moment he shared with Haruka. He wouldn’t want to become as close with someone else as he was with him, he wouldn’t want to risk Haruka feeling left out or forgotten, because he already had to deal with that. His parents described themselves as “free-spirits” but in reality they were absent, too wrapped up in their own wants to remember that they had a child half of the time. So, Haru had begun to stay with the Tachibanas whenever that happened. It used to be his grandmother, but now he found a balance, alternating between the two. It quickly became apparent that the entire Tachibana family loved Haruka as much as Makoto seemed to. Ren and Ran, the new additions to the family, could already say Haruka’s name (although their pronunciation made it sound like _Ha-woo_ ) just as they could with the Tachibanas. He was over there once a day, if not more, and he treasured every moment he could spend with them.

Haruka’s eyes widened as well, the silence between them quickly becoming uncomfortable, tense, almost.

“Oh.” He replied simply, quietly. “Okay.” They sat there for another moment, before Makoto leaned over and hugged Haruka softly. It was all he could think to do, and he supposed it was appropriate. For the first time in his friendship, he felt Haruka hug him _back_. He had hugged him plenty of times, Makoto was a very cuddly person, but this was the first time he had hugged his best friend and he had felt arms wrapped around him in return, that he felt Haruka hugging him back.

It made his heart soar and his stomach drop, as if he was shooting down the track of a roller coaster. He was confused, because he had never felt that before. They spent the next little while at the beach, running and playing and doing things that would be expected of boys their age. After who knows how long, Makoto noticed that the sun was beginning to set.

“Haru, we should go home.” He stated, looking at the other boy. Haru hesitantly agreed, but not before putting up a bit of an argument, saying that he wanted to stay. But once Makoto told him that he could stay over for the night, he agreed, following him back to the Tachibana house. Mrs. Tachibana greeted them happily, praising Makoto for coming back before sundown. She offered them some tea to warm them up from the cool night air, to which both of them graciously accepted. Once they were finished, they went up to Makoto’s room, a sleepy sort of haze over the two of them.

They fell asleep before the futon could be brought out, a tangle of limbs, so close they were basically on top of each other. Makoto’s parents only laughed when they saw, bringing a blanket in and draping it over the two boys, kissing their foreheads and leaving them be.


	3. By Your Side

They were twelve when it happened.

Makoto and Haru were together at the Tachibana house, nothing out of the ordinary, until the phone rang. Mrs. Tachibana came into Makoto’s room, holding the phone in her hand, a solemn expression on her face.

“Haruka, it’s for you, it sounds serious.” She explained, holding the phone out for him. He took it, and held the phone up to his ear.

“Hello?” He asked, the usual solemn expression on his face. Makoto heard a voice on the other end that he believe to be Haruka’s mother. He couldn’t make out what was being said, but Haruka’s expression gave away the jist of what was being said on the other end. Apparently, it was something negative, because Haruka’s expression fell, and he’d never seen him look as sad as he did in that moment.

“Haru..” He breathed out, putting a hand on his best friend’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

“No..” He spoke into the phone, his voice sounding as if he couldn’t believe what was being said on the other end.

“No!” He said again, his voice sharper, more harsh, and Makoto swore he saw a tear roll down his best friend’s face. After that, he put the phone down, and Mrs. Tachibana picked it up, asking what was wrong. Makoto wanted to know as well, but his gut told him not to ask. He sat there with Haru for a while, before his mother called him out of the room and into the hall. Once he listened his mother spoke, her voice quiet.

“Makoto, Haru’s grandmother has died.” She explained, and Makoto’s eyes widened. He immediately knew why he was so torn up about the phone call, his grandmother had taken care of him, she had been a parent to him while his parents had been out and about. They were never home, so Haru switched between staying with his grandmother and Makoto. The love he must’ve felt for her was immeasurable, and now that she was gone, that love turned to pain. He immediately put himself in Haru’s shoes, not needing any more of an explanation, and went back into his bedroom. Haru pulled his face out of his hands, his eyes now watery and red. Makoto crossed the room in a split second, and his arms were around Haru in an instant.

It was then that Haru broke down.

He clung to Makoto, and the gentle tears turned to heaving sobs, laboured breaths wracking his body. Makoto wished more than anything that he could help Haru, that he could being his grandmother back and make everything okay. But he couldn’t, so he would do the most that he could. If that meant holding Haru close until he calmed down and staying by his side for as long as he was needed, then he would do it. If it meant helping Haru, he would do it in a heartbeat. So that’s what he did. He held Haru in his arms as he cried. It must’ve been hours that they sat there together, and Makoto ran careful fingers over Haru’s back as the trembling sobs turned into quiet whimpers. He held him tightly, and yet gentle enough that Haru could pull away easily if he wanted to, but it seemed as if that wasn’t what he wanted because every time he would adjust his position, Haru would cling to him even tighter than before. He gave a weak smile whenever that happened, and uttered a soft “I’m not going anywhere.” Haru would nod against his chest, but his grip wouldn’t loosen. After a while, neither of them realized how long exactly, Haru pulled away. Makoto couldn’t help but notice the absence of warmth from Haru’s body pressed against his.

“Hungry..” Haru muttered, his voice barely there, raspy from the crying. Makoto nodded, getting up and heading to the kitchen, telling Haru that he’d be right back.

“How is he?” His mother immediately asked, and Makoto gave a sad smile.

“He’s alright. He’s definitely calmed down, he’s hungry.” He explained, and his mother sprang into action, pulling some spices and things from cupboards. His smile grew further when he saw her pull mackerel out of the fridge. He had hoped that they had some, and his mother knew exactly how to cook it.

“Thank you.” He said as he started back toward his bedroom. His mother simply gave a wave of her hand. Returning to Haru, he sat back down on the bed.

“Mom says dinner should be ready soon.” He says quietly, and smiles a bit when Haru gives a nod. After a moment, he feels an arm wrap around him, and before he knows what’s happening, Haru is nuzzling into him. He pulls him close instinctively, and hugs him back just as eagerly. It’s clear that he needs someone to be close to right now, and Makoto is happy to be that for him. They eat dinner, and as they head back up to Makoto’s bedroom, he quietly thanks his mother again. She tells him that it was the least she could do, and Makoto gives her a quick hug before following Haru back up the stairs. It had been wordlessly conveyed that Haru would be staying the night, a message conveyed between Makoto and his parents with a single glance.

“We can watch a movie, if you like,” Makoto suggests, but he feels Haru shake his head against his shoulder. He has half a mind to suggest something else, but the way that Haru’s grip on him tightens on him wordlessly conveys that all he needs is to have someone, something to hold on to. So they stay, just like that. At some point throughout the night, he suddenly finds them laying in the bed, heads on the pillows. When he finds Haru still clinging to him, he smiles lightly before letting sleep take over his senses.


End file.
